The Fall of Batman Part 1: The Darkness Inside
by Batcomiczone
Summary: The first part in a 3 part noire style love story of The Dark Knight and Catwoman. They form an alliance to solve a dastardly conspiracy. The darkness of Batman's past haunts him as he dives deeper into the mystery and deeper into madness. Many things will never be the same.
1. Chapter 1

So here i was again. Standing over the body of another dead woman who i loved. The last time i felt this helpless was when i was just a little boy alone in an ally. The two most important people in my life ripped away from me. That's what inspired me to become what i am today. Now i feel like the helpless boy again, as i stare down at the woman who i loved. I hold her body in my arms. Holding her close, begging for her to come back. But i know my cry's for her to return are in vain.

That was a false start. That wasn't the beginning of the story. It was well past the point of no return. The fatal choice had been made and it would get worse before the end. The past is a puzzle like a broken piece of mirror. As you piece it together, you cut yourself, your image keeps shifting, and you change with it. It could destroy you and drive you mad. It also could set you free.

"This is the GCPD. It's over Batman. This place is surrounded. Place your belt of tricks on the ground and come out with your hands up."

You see the choices you made, liking asking your parents to leave the theater early because you got scared, instead of sticking it out and being brave.

"Fan out people, circle around. Cover all exits. We all know how crafty he is."

Kissing her i think of the cold laws of cause and effect.

"Where are those units? Call central! We need every available unit here now!"

I am afraid. But i start from the beginning. Trace my own steps to the scene of the crime.

 _ **Chapter 1: The Real Beginning**_

The darkness of night surrounded Gotham and it was time for the bat to emerge from the cave. I made my way to a warehouse belonging to Carmine Falcony. I always kept a close eye on his affairs like this place i had been staking out for over a week. All i could see from him was copious amounts of cocaine and hookers in his office, you know minor things like that. But if i wanted to bust this place and get Falcony for good, i had to stay patient and wait for something big. When i arrived at the Warehouse that night, i heard gunshots from inside.

"Oracle, shots fired. Possible hostage situation."

"I'll inform Robin to meet you there."

"Negative i've got this."

"It's too risky alone. I'm calling in Tim."

"Goddammit."

This was supposed to be my case. I'd rather Barbra just let Tim stick to his cases. But she missed the old days of the dynamic duo. I preferred to do things alone after my first two Robins ended up hating me from spending too much time with me. I entered the warehouse. I saw a couple of hookers run out of the place behind me. I figured this place was about to look like Baghdad with g-strings.

I heard a woman crying in the room up ahead.

"Please don't" she cried.

"Die Die." He shouted followed by two gunshots.

I burst in with a batarang raised only to find the sound was coming from a movie on the T.V.. At least the room was empty so that i was the only one who knew how much of a jackass i looked like. I moved on and saw someone walking by calmly. He was wearing a cleaning uniform but i didn't like the looks of this guy.

"Hold right there." I growled like and angry dog.

"Holy shit? Batman? Easy man i'm just cleaning the place." I searched him for weapons. "Come on man, it's all legit. I work for the Squeaky Cleaning Company."

"You hear anything suspicious just now?"

"No, oh are you worried about the gun workshop upstairs?"

"Yeah i am. Take me there!"

He lead me a few steps before i knocked him out. His disguise wasn't fooling anyone, he was leading me into a trap and i knew it. You learn a couple things when you fight crime for a living. 1: There's no such thing as the squeaky cleaning company. And 2: If someone tells you it's legit, it's not legit at all.

I saw his friend wearing the same uniform, but this guy had a gun in his hand. I used a batarang to disarm him, rocked him with a stiff right hook followed by a knee to his solar plexus. All the perps inside were mascaraing as cleaners. As i moved further into the building i saw cleaning supplies next to large blood stains on the floor. These guys were really cleaning. Cleaning up their own mess. I heard more gunshots followed by voices.

"I'm not a violent man by any nature. But it pisses me off more than anything when they do that. It's an insult is what it is. We're trying to "clean" the place. They should have more sense when they bleed on the floor."

"That's what you get. You should find a way to kill these people without spilling any blood." His buddy replied to him. "You know gas'em or poison'em or something."

Even though these guy had " _great"_ personalities i decided that i had to take care of them. After i took them out i took a look at the poor man they shot. I only took a quick look before i moved on. He was another one of the many people i was too late to save. There's no real way to deal with the past. I kept my eyes on the road, and off he review mirror and the roadkill behind me.

I headed up the stairs to find more fake cleaners. "Hey, Kaufman's waiting in the van. The hardware's been bagged. As soon as these guys get Jackie Brown taken care of we'e done." I took him and his friend out. The room looked like a gun storage, but it was cleaned out. In the next room there was a phone, the machine had a message recorded on it. I pushed play.

"You reached Tanya Fox. I'm not here right now cause i'm doing some nasty shit that kills. So leave a message after the beep."

"Tanya it's Carmine, ah to be a gun in your gentle care. Oh a man can dream. Sorry i couldn't be there as promised, somethings come up. Probably nothing to worry about but keep and eye out for trespassers. If anything happened to you...Just whistle and i'll be there if anything happens." I headed to the office and heard more voices.

There was a woman tied to a chair, with two goons in there looking like they were about to execute her. She was a young black woman. I guess that shined light on the "Jackie Brown" reference. One of these guys had a gun in his hand, the other seemed unarmed.

"Enough chit-chat. Finish her!"

"Wait! The mob guys attacked us! i have no beef with you guys! You took them out. Listen i work for Carmine Falcony." She pleaded for her life.

"Honey you work for no one."

I decided to make my move.

"Drop the weapon." I growled.

The guy with the gun nodded at his friend. The unarmed one reached into his outfit and grabbed an uzi and fired at me. I took cover and allowed the first domino to fall.

"Finish Her!" He screamed. And with that gunshot it all went to shit.

Like all the bad things in my life, it started with the death of a woman. I couldn't save her.

They ran off towards the exit. I chased after them. They got to the door and opened it. They were greeted by a woman. Unfortunately for them, she wasn't on their side. To be honest i never know who's side she's on. Catwoman is an impossible woman to guess.

She had a gun in her hand and the look of a killer in her eyes. She shot them in the head and looked at me as i showed up to late to stop another killing.

"Selina?" I asked as i saw her kill the two crooks.

"Bruce." She said with a smile. "We need to stop meeting like this." She walked right back out the door she came in. I tried to chase after her but she was gone.

Robin had arrived. Some of the cleaners tried to test him and fight him, but he made them regret that. The rest of them were making a run for it. I chased after some of them. They ran into the van. "Go Kaufman! Get us out of here!" He shrieked. They got away before i could stop them.

Tim approached me. "Batman, what the hell happened in there?"

I didn't answer him. This was all just a fucked up mess. What the hell was this about? Why was Selina there just to kill those guys? So many questions. But things have always had a habit of only making sense long after i had run out of time to fix them.

* * *

Back at the cave it was business as usual. Me trying to make sense of what happened. I tried to play it cool. But everything had changed the moment that door opened up to reveal Selina.

"Tanya Fox was a licensed gunsmith and dealer in firearms." Tim said.

"Right, the property is owned by Falcony. There's three groups involved with this. Falcony, rival mobs and gangs that Tanya mentioned, and of course these clowns in the cleaning suits."

"The dead guys were identified as Fox's employees." Barbra added.

"I heard a name mentioned. Kaufman." I said.

"This one's evil. I don't like it one bit. And it's only started. This case is all yours Bruce." Tim said.

"Well while Bruce is working on this, i've got something for you to work on." She gave Tim a file on his case. "Homicide Joe Ryan. It's going to be all over the news.

"The senator?" Tim asked.

"Yea it's also a mess. But we got lucky, there's an eye-witness. Should be easy for you boys to recognize."

Tim's jaw dropped when he saw the picture. "Bruce you're not gonna like this."

I snatched it out of his hands. They both hovered over my shoulder whispering warnings. But i didn't want to listen. Selina was the suspect in Tim's case. I didn't tell them i saw her. I wanted to stall. Maybe it was because she was alive when everyone else around me kept dying, survivors guilt washed away. The computer search on the Squeaky Cleaning Company and Kaufman came up empty.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2: A Criminal Mastermind_**

I had to talk to Falcony. Get his version. Be the bearer of bad news on behalf of Tanya Fox. He had just bought an old nightclub and was turning it into a trendy restaurant. Selina's appearance had triggered a dislocation, schizophrenia. I felt elation. But with it, fear that all the past evils had come along for the ride.

I arrived at the restaurant. And just like before i heard gunfire. I found my way in through the back. These guy were Black Masks' crew and they were killing Falcony's guys. I was about to take them out when they all were killed by a outstanding marksmen armed with an AK-47. They called him Vlad "The Russian Cowboy." He got the name from being a gunslinger and his strong Russian accent.

"Hey Batman, we need your help. These guys bust in here and start shooting up place. You must stop them."

"Why do i have the feeling you provoked them?"

"Falcony has done nothing wrong. These guys are trespassing and i'm defending myself."

"Where is Falcony?"

"His in his office with the door locked. Black Mask is trying to get to him. Come with me so we can save him."

"Wait, one condition."

"What?"

"No guns. No killing." I reached out my hand to take his gun.

"Batman, i don't like this. I don't know kung fu like you do."

"The gun, Now!" I growled.

He reluctantly gave it up and we headed to save Falcony. He was held up in his office while Black Mask and his crew were trying to bust it down. Falcony had his gun aimed at the door ready to unload once it was broken down. When i showed up, Black Mask lost all his motivation.

"Fuck this shit i'm out. You fuckers deal with the Bat." He was about to leave before he decided to deal one last pointless threat at Falcony. "You bought yourself some time you Italian Prick!"

I dealt with the pawns thrown at me and i headed to the office. "Carmine it's me, open up."

"Batman? Shit now i really want to shoot what's on the other side of the door." He yelled back.

"I just want to talk about Tanya Fox. That's it."

"The last time you _just wanted to talk,_ you broke my fuckin arm you dickhead."

"Open the door, and i won't break the other one."

"Alright, alright already. You grouchy fuckin bastard."

He opened the door and gave me a sarcastic smile. "My hero, oh how i could kiss you." He poured himself a drink with his non-broken arm. The other one was still in a sling. He had a cigarette hanging out his mouth.

"Black Mask, the criminal mastermind?" I asked

"He's wiping out everyone he sees as competition on the black market gun trade. The Mafia underboss as made a deal with someone very powerful." He popped a couple of pain pills and washed them down with his whiskey. He then poured himself another one. I've never seen someone take such good care of their body.

"What was it you did you a living again."

"Scouts honor Batman, i've gone legit. I have mended my ways and have evolved to a higher level. My restaurant will soon be the best in Gotham and i will be rich and famous again." He then took another sip of his drink. "Tanya was a princess, they killed her for no reason." Vlad walked up behind him and whispered something in his ear. "Excuse me a second." He walked off.

I went over to the phone laying on the desk. He had recorded one of his calls. I played it. "Nothing to worry about baby. I'm going to be alright. When haven't i been alright? Batman is here now. You know Batman. He'll scare these guys of, and hopefully piss off afterwards. I'll call you when it's over. I love you baby."

Carmine Falcony was a perfect gentleman reassuring his girlfriend. Someone other than Tanya.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3:**_ _ **The Depths Of My Brain**_

Home sweet home. An expensive condo in the city. A serial arsonist known as Firefly torched down half of Wayne Manor. So while re-construction went on, i decided Bruce Wayne would rent out a condo with a great view of my crime filled city.

Something in the night had felt like a door had been opened. An echo of the past. An old monster snapping it's eye's open in the depths of my brain. Closing your eyes forces you to look at the darkness inside. I hadn't truly slept in a long time. When i did, my dreams were always nightmares. In a nightmare every choice you make is the wrong wrong. I would wake up at night afraid that day was a dream i'd forget.

I woke up to a knock at my door. Nobody knocks on my door. Something didn't feel right. Everything seemed off. "This is odd." I thought to myself. Someone slipped a note under the door. It was the picture of Selina from Tim's case file. I opened the door and no one was there. I ran down the halls desperate to find out who placed the picture under my door. The hallway was dimly lit more than usual. Everything was out of focus. I ran down the stairs towards the lobby. I could hear Selina whisper my name. "Bruce."

I reached the bottom of the stairs to the lobby. I opened the door only to find myself in the city morgue. I hear her say my name again. "Bruce." I turned and to see Selina. She was sitting on the edge of one of the tables. Her legs crossed in her that leather suit that hugged her flawless body. "Bruce. Sorry i woke you." I walked over to her. "Shh! It's a secret. You must tell no one." The phone on the desk next to the table began to ring. "You better answer that." I answered the phone to hear Falcony's voice.

"Nothing to worry about baby. I'm going to be alright. When haven't i been alright? Batman is here now. You know Batman. He'll scare these guys of, and hopefully piss off afterwards. I'll call you when it's over. I love you baby."

I heard Police Sirens followed by Barbra's voice. "We need to hit the place now. Batman's in there."

Selina turned to me. "They know that you know. You must run."

"Batman. It's over. Place your belt of tricks on the ground and come out with your hands up. This is your final warning." I found myself in the streets of gotham. My hands behind my head the police standing in front of me with their guns drawn. "Run bat's run. We are gonna shoot." They fired at me. "Shoot to kill!" I ran away into a ally to avoid the gunfire. I saw a little boy in the ally watch his parents get gunned down. I'll let you take a guess at who the little boy was. I ran past them all. My dead parents, their killer, and i left the poor boy all alone.

Then i found myself in the interrogation room at the cave. I was the suspect sitting in the chair as Tim and Barbra questioned me.

"You don't need a lawyer, just tell us what you did." Barbra said.

"Bruce you're done. Everything you say will be used against you."

"What are you hiding? She's alive isn't she?" Barbra asked pointing to the pictures of Selina on the table.

"People get near you they die. You killed your family. You killed them all." Tim said.

"Confess!" Barbra demanded.

"Do i get a phone call?" I gravely asked.

"You already got it." She answered.

I stood up and stared them down.

"Don't even think about it." Tim warned.

Without hesitation i attacked them both and knocked them out. Behind me i heard Selina's voice. "My hero." With a gasp i woke up on my couch. There was a knock at my door.

When you're waking up the world is a blur. What was clear in a dream suddenly makes no sense. No surreal rescues. No easy, magic way out. But you are awake.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: No "Us" In This:**_

I had woken up to a knock at my door. I opened it up to see her. "Selina, i was wondering when you'd show up." She had a gun in her hand, aimed at me.

"Bruce, i'm not here to kill you." She gave me a soul piercing stare with those hypnotizing bright green eyes. "Aren't you going to ask me in?" She grabbed an apple on her way in and sat down on the couch. "You are in danger. Both of us are. There's a contract out on us." She took a bite making a loud crunch.

"There's no "us" in this. You're a murder suspect. I should take you in." I lied through my teeth.

I was hiding behind my false morality. We were in our suits. And i don't mean our Batman and Catwoman suits. By this point in our lives, those were our true identities. The suits were the clothes we wore when we wanted to blend in with the rest of the world. For me it was a black long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. Her taste was identical but she wearing a black leather jacket.

The real thing is never what you think it will be. I walked over to the window and took a look outside. It was yet another rainy night in Gotham. But what really caught my attention was the light reflecting off of the scope of a sniper rilfe from the building in front of me. "Sniper!" i yelled as i took cover. I heard the sound of shattering glass as i ducked, followed by the hiss of a bullet as it missed my head by less than an inch.

Selina hit the deck and shook her head. "They found me. This was a mistake." She said as she took off.

"Selina, Wait!" She had woken me up. She had come and gone. And now i was being shot at. I had to catch her. And find out what was going on. From the hallway i heard voices.

"It's you!?" A deep man's voice shrieked followed by multiple gunshots. I finally got up and head for the door. I heard another sniper shot barley miss my head. In the hallway I found bodies of employees from the not so legit Squeaky Cleaning Company. Selina had taken 3 of these guys out and there was no sign of her.

"Oh no you won't! Get out! Get out!" I heard an old lady shriek followed by a shotgun blast. I wanted to follow Selina before her trail went cold, but i had to make sure the poor lady was okay. I ran to her room to see the body of another cleaner. The lady was holding a double barrel shotgun. She must have unloaded both barrel's into this guy judging by the way his chest was caved in. "No one's driving me out of my home." She warned.

"Careful with that gun, lady."

"Oh, you're that handsome man from room N52? I have another gun like this if you need it."

"Not really my style. Just stay inside and don't let anyone else in besides the police."

"Hoodlums! This used to be a nice neighborhood."

I made my way through my building. Encountering a few cleaners along the way and taking them out as i saw them. I headed over to the apartment where the sniper shots came from. When i got there, the shooter was gone. The room was full of surveillance equipment. They had been spying on me for day, weeks, months even. My every action observed, recorded, analysed. The place was the proof every paranoiac dreams of. All i knew for certain was the secret was out.

I looked through the camera aimed at my condo and watched some of the cleaners tamper with something. "It's simple, not like in a movie where the hero gets to disarm the bomb. Now he opens the door and boom." One of the guys explained. Another cleaner opened the door and sealed their fate. "Hey guys, you almost..." a large explosion engulfed them and my Condo, killing them instantly. I wasn't happy about the way the cleaners were doing their job.

I should have been upset but i wasn't for some reason. Home is where the heart is. Once upon a time it was a large mansion where my family lived. Now it was a mediocre condo in the crime capital of the country.

I went over to a tape recorder on a nearby table. See what kind of intel the had on me. They had my phone messages. "Bruce where are you? This insomnia crap isn't fooling anyone. We just want to help." Barbra's voice of worry was apparent, but fallen on deaf ears.

The explosion in my condo had started a fire. The flames couldn't burn away my past. They only made the shadows behind me leap higher. I left the building and headed for the cave.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: A Sign Of Her Passage.**_

"They hit your home? It's like a damn kindergarten out there!" Once again Barbra was worried about my well being. I never had the cave to myself anymore. Barbra was always there. It's one of the many reasons i missed the old days where it was just me an Alfred in the cave. No one else. But a brain tumor had taken him away from me over a year ago. Now Tim and Barbra were always there to help me, well sometimes. Most of the time they unintentionally annoyed me.

"What's next? A kid with a bag full of guns and head full of video games turns the house into a shooting gallery. It breaks my heart." She rambled on. "What's going on here?"

With me she meant. I had my doubts, about about the cleaners spying on me, about Selina. "According to Falcony, the mob boss Black Mask is behind the hits. Seems he has made a deal with an unknown third party. Maybe the cleaners. I don't know something doesn't feel right." I said to her. "If it's true, i've been added to Black Masks' list.

I came close to lying to Barbra. I told myself i needed to find out the facts first. Before the others could screw up the evidence. But that was an excuse. Selina had gotten under my skin. I couldn't close my eyes to any of it anymore. It was more important than the job. She had tried to reach me, left her number. I gave her a call.

"Risky leaving your number on a answering machine in the batcave." I warned her.

"Trace the call the call and you'll see i'm talking to you from Hong Kong. I'll give you my address. Make sure you're not followed." She hung up and the dial tone began buzzing. I got up and geared up.

"Bruce what's going on?" Tim asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

"Look, don't do anything stupid." He warned.

"Just worry about yourself kid."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6: A Linear Sequence Of Scares_**

Selina's place was a closed-down funhouse based on a 90's TV show. The shows cancellation had done the kiss of death to it. It was based off of _Decent Into Madness_ a noire story of a detective who's ambition for true just takes him on a dark path. As the show progressed the mysteries got deeper and deeper forcing him to slip deeper into madness. I never really understood my it seemed so familiar to me.

As i entered the cardboard created streets of _Noire City_ I felt like i was walking into a trap. I felt guilty, like i was about to get caught. All the animatronics and audio effects were working as i walked deeper and deeper into the maze. I got to an elivator that would take me to the lower levels. Deeper and deeper, way way down i went.

There was no lock on the front door. I was wondering why the place wasn't packed with hobos and stray dogs. Little wonder remained as i found myself in the Asylum section of the funhouse. Moving cutouts of crazy patients with knives. The sounds of these fake cutouts talking to themselves. It was like a cardboard reenactment of Arkham.

Windows showing me these cardboard people being tortured. Being tormented. The words mad and paranoid on the walls. I didn't like this place one bit. Your past has a way of sneaking up on you. You'll hear broken echos of it everywhere. Like a bad replay. You get mad at everybody for reminding you about it. Even if it's all in your head.

When entertainment turns into a surreal reflection of your life, you're a lucky man if you can laugh at the joke. But luck and i weren't on speaking terms. Or maybe the place was just too lame to be funny. Now i was at the _funeral home_. Bunch of voices echoing "Death is coming."

A funhouse is a linear sequence of Scares. Take it or leave it is the only choice given to you. It makes you think about free will. Have our choices been made for us because of who we are? A voice said welcome to the next level as i continued this true Decent into Madness. I was now behind the backdrops, getting warm.

When i had first met Selina, her sister had been killed. It must have felt like madness, Schizophrenia in reverse. Your other self suddenly falling silent. We had both lost our loved ones. I found my way to her workroom. The weapons and explosives there left no question about her vocation. I heard the sound of running water followed by the hum of her voice.

I walked into the bathroom to find her taking a shower. Steam filled the room like a thick fog.

"I'll tell you one thing Selina, you're no singer." She said to herself.

"You've switched tactics." I said as i stepped in. "We need to talk."

"Bring me a towel will you?" She fully exposed her perfect body to me. It wasn't anything i hadn't seen before. I brought her a towel and she wrapped it around her body. "Now that you're here, you can watch my back while i get dressed." All she had told me is that someone wanted us dead. The way she was acting, i was the only one in danger here.

"You're gonna have to give me a lot more than that." I told her.

"The court of owls."

"What of it?"

"The secret society is after everyone that knows of their existence."

"Come off it. Prove it."

"I have a contact inside. He's willing to talk."

"Ricky Loose Lips." A criminal who's known for being very verbal.

She had finished putting on the catwoman suit. It was so hard for me to take my eyes off her. "No this is someone else. Anyways, i can take you too him."


	7. Chapter 7

**2 years ago:** Selina and I had known each other for quite sometime. She knew who i was, and i knew who she was after one night we slept together. I was working a case that lead me to the penguins gang hideout in an old hotel. That's when we ran into each other. She walked out of the elevator with a gun, she quickly aimed it at my head.

"Selina, lookin good." I greeted her

"Batman. We gotta stop meeting like this."

Penguins voice came in through the intercom. "It'll be a cold day in hell, before i let a crazy bat stop me. Miss Kyle, do your job."

I clinched my first. She lowered her gun. "Relax Bruce. You're a nice guy. I don't kill nice guys."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Batman!" She shouted as she grabbed my head and lowered it. She then raised her gun and shot at the bad guys coming in behind me. Selina let out a gasp as a bullet entered her skull.

"NO!" I shrieked.

A gunshot boomed and she fell in slow-motion. She was a nice girl. Not really a stone cold killer. And now she was stone cold dead. Laying lifeless in an elevator. Like religious fanatics or loyal samurai, Penguins goons were coming at me. Thanks to Selina, they didn't have the jump on me anymore. I was ready. She died to save me. Or so i thought. I always had my doubts. After i took out the bad guys with extreme prejudice, beating them damn near to death, i pushed the button for the elevator to come back up.

When it did Selina was gone. There was a lot of blood, but no body. Something clicked for the final time. My mind had never been so clear. As if somewhere high above the storm clouds were already gone. Cold stars blazing from the black skies.

 _ **Chapter 7: The Million Dollar Question**_

She wasn't telling me the whole truth. "Let's go." I told her as i opened up the door for her. We hoped in the batmobile and took off.

"The Court of Owls goes back to the centuries old masonic cults. Currption and assassinations reaching all the way to the presidential level." Selina explained.

"Right. And here i was thinking conspiracy theories had gone out of style." I replied.

"We're here." She said. I stepped on the brakes and took a deep breath.

"So are they." I said as i pointed out 2 vans from the Squeaky Cleaning Company. We entered the Apartment complex and saw some dead bodies in the lobby. Selina reached for her gun but i took it from her. "I'll hang on to this for you." I didn't want to killing anyone. We went over to the desk and checked the camera feeds.

"They're after him. The elevators work with the apartment keys and from the desk here. They have jammed most of them to the floors they're. The guards set off the alarm before they were killed." She explained.

"We need to do this fast."

"Shouldn't we just wait for the cops?" She teased. Then she gave me an ear piece. "Here, so we can stay in touch. You operate the elevator from here and i'll go up."

"I'll go up." I growled.

"You're the man." She said with a scowl. I walked into the elevator and took it up. "I have the floor plans in front of me. I'll guide you through." Now i knew the comms worked.

"How come you're alive anyway? I saw you take a bullet to the head."

"Nine lives. Remember?"

"Does that apply to bullets going through your head?"

"Maybe it's still there. Keeps me focused." For this to work i was going to have to trust her. The elevator doors opened. "Let's get to work. Cleaners ahead and to the left guarding my contact's door at the opposite end of the hall." She informed me.

I found the cleaners guarding his door. I attacked the first one with a stiff left hook, stunning him. His friend tried to hit me but i leaned back forcing him to overreach. I made him pay for this mistake with jawbreaking flying knee taking him out instantly. Then i finished off the other one with a simple spinning back kick to the face.

The door was locked. Selina gave me an alternate way in from the balcony of the room next door. I walked in and saw more cleaners taking care of their bloody mess. After i took care of them in similar fashion i informed Selina. "They're cleaning the other apartment's as well."

"My contact said that other Court of Owl members live in the building."

I went into the bathroom and saw the victim. "I have a young guy. Slim, wearing a suit."

"Not him. My guy is a fat bald man."

I walked out onto this guy's balcony. I used the line launcher to get to her contact's balcony. This had to be the place, it was crawling with cleaners. I took them all out and headed to the bedroom. I saw her guy. I also saw a lot of his blood.

"We're late. He's dead." I told her.

"You need to get out of there, we need to leave now. More cleaners in the lobby coming your way."

I wasn't ready to go. Not without a single piece of evidence. I saw a photo on the table. In it was a group of men posing in front of a manor house. Her contact was there, Senator Ryan, and so was William Cobb. And so it was true, all bets were off. The court of owls was involved. William Cobb was the leader of the court. Also known by the name Talon. There was no real evidence of his involvement. Hell there was no real evidence of the court. But i knew this was them.

I knew that the cleaners would be sending a lot of armed guys to the lobby. I looked for another way down. I found it in the form of a window cleaners lift. Hopefully this belonged to a cleaner who was legit.

"Selina I found i window cleaners lift. I'm headed down."

"Bruce?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know. I just, just wanted to say..." She was cut off by the sounds of gunfire. "Dammit." She growled.

"Selina? Selina! SELINA!" Someone had got to Selina. Nothing worked out as planned. I had to get to her fast. I didn't want a repeat of the incident from two years ago.

I got to the lobby of the next floor down. The elevator opened up to reveal three cleaners. The big one caught my attention his uniform had the name _Kaufman_ on it. I rembered that name from the warehouse. He must have been a big deal, a leader of sorts to the cleaners.

"Find him. Take care of him." He growled. They didn't have to look far.

I moved in quickly. MY first three attacks were disarming attacks. Then i focused on the pawns. Making sure to take them out first. This allowed Kaufman to grab me and slam me on the ground. It was hurt a little, but i've had much worse. I replied by wrapping him in and armbar and snapping it like a twig. He let out a loud cry of pain. I silenced him with a boot to the chin. I took the elevator down to the bottom floor.

Why had she come to me in the first place? For help? For something she wasn't telling me? When i the doors opened i was greeted warmly by the cops.

"GCPD Freeze!" One yelled with his gun drawn.

"Easy don't move." The other one said.

Selina was being handcuffed by another officer. I looked and saw Robin standing next to her. He looked at me with a confused look.

"Batman? What are you doing?" He walked up to me and asked again. "What are you doing?" He sounded upset, disappointed.

It was the million dollar question i didn't have the answer too.


End file.
